...were a cordon drawn round the upper part of these great peaks beyond which no man may go. The truth of course lies in the fact that, at altitudes of 25,000 feet and beyond, the effects of low atmospheric pressure upon the human body are so severe that really difficult mountaineering is impossible and the consequences even of a mild storm may be deadly, that nothing but the most perfect conditions of weather and snow offers the slightest chance of success, and that on the last lap of the climb no party is in a position to choose its day . . .1 Eric Shipton, Upon that Mountain O A RAPID DESCENT He was 24,000 feet above sea level, but the light was fading, and so Jai Jaikumar knew that he had little time to admire the view. It was 4 p.m. on a summer day in 1966, and Jai, an engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology, stood with one of his closest climbing buddies at the summit of a Himalayan mountain. The final ascent that day, beginning at high camp at 2 a.m., had been rougher and more difficult than the pair had anticipated. They had originally set 1 p.m. as their “turnaround time,” the point at which considerations of safety dictate that climbers should abandon their ascent and head back to high camp. However, the prospect of waiting a few more days to again challenge the summit held little appeal for Jai and his companion. They were both healthy and experienced at climbing despite their youth, and so when 1 p.m. came, the decision to press on had been easy...
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...my life and that was in 2006, indoors on manmade snow in Dubai, an experience that both terrified and elated me all at the same time. It wasn’t until 2008 and the epic snow storm that blanketed most of the nation that I decided to give it another go. Of course I had a few friends who were goading me into trying it, as I normally made fun of snowboarding or any other snow sports for that matter. I used to think it was too expensive, dangerous, and a waste of time. Why would I go out in the cold on purpose? Why would I pay to strap a sled to my feet and do crazy things? All of these questions and more went through my head while I was driving a group of Aussie friends up to Cypress Mountain in Vancouver, BC where I was planning to go snowshoeing and take photos. When we arrived at the mountain the sky started dumping snow, something it wasn’t’ doing when we started off from the city. It would make for a good snowshoeing experience, but would limit the photo opportunities. So, with that I decided to cave into the peer pressure I was feeling and give snowboarding another try. Keep in mind that only other time I had been strapped to a snowboard was in the United Arab Emirates on fake snow in August in the middle of the desert. The gear was smelly and sweaty from hundreds of other users, but it seemed solid and didn’t cost that much. It felt like I was carrying a coffee table with some attachment points for my feet. I wasn’t the only one in the group who had to rent equipment...
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...For example, the quality of hotels in Alaska is quite good and the accommodations in Alaska vary from basic to luxury. Similarly, there is a wide range of excellent hotels and condos in Hawaii, from luxury to budget priced. Topic Sentence 2: However, there are differences between Alaska and Hawaii. Supporting Detail 1: The first difference is climate. For instance, the temperature is perfect in Alaska during the summer. It seldom rains during the summer in Alaska. Besides that, there is no humidity in Alaska. In contrary, it often rains as well as hot and humid in Hawaii in the summer. Supporting Detail 2: Another difference is neutral beauty. To illustrate, the glaciers in Alaska are awesome. It has the Chugach Mountains and Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. On the other hand, Hawaii has Volcano National Park and Waimea Canyon. Other than that, the beaches in Hawaii are among the most beautiful in the world. Conclusion: In conclusion, both Alaska and Hawaii have similarities and differences which offer great summer holidays for tourists. Alaska and Hawaii Here is a description about Alaska and Hawaii. Both Alaska and Hawaii have certain similarities. The similarity can be seen in term of accommodations. For example, the quality of hotels in Alaska is quite good and the accommodations in Alaska vary from basic to luxury. Similarly, there is a wide range of excellent hotels and condos in Hawaii, from luxury to budget priced. However, there are...
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...I have always loved the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee during the fall season. The brilliant, colorful leaves of red, yellow, orange and brown glisten in the sunlight. Leaves dancing from the limbs of massive tall trees as the wind blows swiftly across the ridges. The smell of pine is coming from the beautiful lush pine trees. Early morning brings a white cloud of fog from deep in the valley, making it appear as if one were sitting on top a giant cloud. Being welcome by large antler deer, fluffy rabbits, singing birds are a few emerging from the dark forest. Long narrow creeks flowing through the mountainside. The narrow, bumpy road winding around the mountainside, climbing higher and higher. On one side, there is a hill of nothing but brown dirt and luscious pines that seem to travel to the heavens. However; on the other hand, the elevation drops drastically into never land. As I look down, all I can see is colorful, vibrant tree tops swaying in the wind. I dislike thinking what could happen if my tire were to slip off the narrow road edge. Bringing my eyes back looking straight ahead I notice the image of something entirely large just ahead of me. Approaching closer, I see a baby cub who must have wandered off from its mother. It appears to have fluffy brown fur and big brown eyes. Playing in the roadway, rolling around like a small child until it spots me. It gets up and walks towards my car. Not showing an ounce of fear, it sniffs my car and looks at me. My window is cracked...
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...“There are mountains in central Alabama?” I asked. My intrigue turned into a Cheaha State Park weekend getaway. Nightfall and a pushy headwind created navigation challenges on the twisting road, with multiple S-curves and steady ascents. Ramping upwards, sparkling silver stars peeked from the skies, welcoming us to this secluded forested haven. Your weekend experience awaits, complete with hiking, history, and southern comfort food. Dominating the landscape of the Talladega National Forest, Mount Cheaha rises 2,407 feet above sea level. Cheaha State Park, opened in 1933, is Alabama’s oldest continuously operating state park and accessible in less than two hours’ drive time from either Birmingham, Alabama or Atlanta, Georgia. Upon arrival, stop at the Country Store and Gift Shop for overnight check-in. Whether you are purchasing firewood, securing hiking maps, picking up picnic supplies, munching boiled peanuts, or panning for gold, this is the hub of human...
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...The rotor wash from the helicopters plasters my skin with dry, coarse sand and the dust filled air makes breathing a torrid time. Gazing at the sun crawling over the mountain is pleasant, but the image fades with the sound of engines roaring and Marines scurrying back and forth. Mauna Kea towers over us across Saddle Road with its liveliness disappearing the further it climbs. The terrain is rough, even for myself at the base of the mountain with lava rocks shifting underneath my feet making it difficult to walk. As the dust settles, my mouth is still dry, lips chapped, and my nose like an endless waterfall from my allergies. The faces around are drained of emotion with noses pointed to the dirt and cold hands buried in pockets. J. Ramage, J Bean, and J. Johnson (2015) described a strategy that was my greatest lesson learned in this paper “Select details that support your intentions; omit or de-emphasize others.” (p. 47). I was able to look for positive details as well as negative ones that I could exploit on both sides of the argument....
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...Diamond T Ranch is a ranch located around Potter Creek in Bannock County, Idaho. The manager being J. Phillip Adams. Like most farms, Diamond T Ranch mostly deals with farming and ranching actions. Now, it was in 2001 when Adams wanted to fix a road that was crossing over Potter Creek. The reason why is because Diamond T Ranch had two fields with the creek cutting it in half. So, with the improvements on the road they could transfer equipment between both fields. The project ended up being called “Potter Creek Project”. Now, news of this project got out. The United States Army Corps of Engineers found out by Idaho Department of Water. The problem was that there was a potential Clean Water Act violation. There had been no permit given to Diamond T Ranch or Adams regarding this project, which was underway. So, Idaho Department of Water gave Adams a Notice of Violation and fee because of not having a permit. The permit dealt with the Stream Channel Protection Act, Idaho Code Ann. §§ 42-3801 to -3812. After Diamond T Ranch received the Notice of Violation, they decided to send in a “Joint Application for Permits. This would allow them to finish the stream changes that were planned. The application lets the company apply for a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Idaho Department of Water. This took place around November 2001. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) received the request and then asked for additional information. They then had evidence...
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...People are always looking forward to their vacation period. There are many options where to choose. I think that the two most common places people choose for taking a vacation are the beaches and the mountains. Both places offer a variety of fun activities. The beach offers activities that the mountain cannot offer and vice versa. The mountain and the beach are totally different. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the climate, types of activities and locations of beaches and mountains. I’m going to discuss mountains first. The three aspects I’m going to discuss are climate, types of activities and location. Climate is always important in order to enjoy vacations. If a person dislikes cold weather, he or she might have a hard time in the mountains. The cold climate in the mountains is the first barrier to enjoying them, but the climate and the temperature of these zones also determine the types of activities they offer. Snow boarding, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and skiing are some activities people can enjoy when going to the mountains. There are many regions that have mountains where people can go and have a great vacation. Canada is a country located in North America and contains many mountain vacation sites where people can go and have fun. I’m going to discuss the beach second. The three aspects I’m going to discuss are climate, types of activities and location. Warm climate is one of the most important features that the beach has. Sun and fun are...
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...famous Kilimanjaro Mountain. The most exciting thing about this mountain is its snow covered exterior as opposed to the bursting with lava interior core. Moses has always been fascinated by this fact and wants to visit the mountain by climbing it. He has been warned by many that the trek is strenuous and that it needs proper training and stamina to actually reach the top. Moses’s interest in climbing and experiencing the Kilimanjaro mountain, its environment and wildlife rose high when he learnt that it is listed as an official site amongst the seven natural wonders of the world. His close friend Jemima is very excited to go on the trek with Moses. She asks him to tell her all he knows about the mountain. Moses is very excited and tells her, “Mount Kilimanjaro is a wonder. It is not only a snow covered peak with an altitude of 5,895m above sea level but also a dormant volcano in a 1.5 mile wide crater as a part of the Kibo portion of the mountain. Kilimanjaro is not only the tallest peak in Africa but also the ‘highest free standing mountain’ in the world. This is opposed to the other mountains that are widespread as mountain ranges. There are many peculiar features to this natural wonder. It is located just 3 degrees south of equator which is an area known for high temperatures, but Kilimanjaro has a permanent snow covered peak all year long. This is an extremely astonishing feature and a natural phenomenon. Basically the enormous height of the mountain is responsible...
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...human powers. We were convinced that we would have to huck ourselves from under the whirling blades into the endlessly deep powder below. Warren Miller and Travis Rice have a lot to answer for, as the truth was far less extreme. We leaped from the chopper landing with a muffled thud on the thick landing pad of snow. Our heli guide grabbed our snowboards from the helicopter basket and stopped just short of strapping our boots into the bindings for us. After we heard the last clicks of our straps echo through the mountains and watched the helicopter morph from a massive machine into a tiny dot floating in the sky miles away, we stood alone and abandoned at the top of a snowy ridge, staring down at our dream: a vast world of untracked powder, laid out below the nose of our snowboards. A few deep mouthfuls of crisp mountain air and we took to the snow, following the guide’s turns and breaking fresh tracks. Not a lift line in sight, no lift pass necessary, and an entire mountain range for us to call our own. We glided with ease on our mountain’s snow, carving perfect lines amidst the...
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...Jill Cottle Econ 2302 Professor Nervo July 30, 2013 Deforestation and its Effects Deforestation is a prosperous business. Land is cleared to make room for infrastructures and other transportation which links once inaccessible populations to valued marketplaces and vice-versa. The scope of the problem with deforestation has been seen world-wide from the Brazilian Amazon, Indonesia, Russia, and even in the United States. Deforestation has a big payoff in the beginning; as trees are cleared, the lumber is sold and the bustle surrounding deforestation entices migrant laborers who profit from the freshly accessible acreage, lumber, and natural resources (Walsh, 2009). While deforestation is beneficial in the beginning, the ecological effects of the deforestation take a toll on our environment. Many studies have been done to analyze the effects of deforestation in and around local villages, as well as mountainous regions. Each study has a purpose for looking into the effects of deforestation. One study looks at the effect of deforestation and the connection within malaria-endemic areas, specifically in the village of Cacao in French Guiana. In this study the authors are looking at the run off issue associated with the endemic of malaria. They used a group of 839 people living permanently within the village between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2007 (Basurko et al, 2013). The information about the number of people for each domiciliary, the total of confirmed cases of...
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...look black. It’s time for family road trip to the Black Hills. The whole family already has her bags packed and are ready to go. I’m the last one to leave the house and get into the car and I am not ready for this road trip. I said myself “this is going be the most boring trip ever, just mountains and trees and a 14 hour car ride of agonizing pain and misery with nothing else to do but sit there and look out of the window at corn until we get there. My sister I don’t normally get along with is kicking the back of my seat screaming that she doesn’t have enough leg space. 30 minutes into the trip she starts to cry about how hungry she is. And instead of my parents providing a reasonable solution to the problem like giving her some food from the cooler they just turn the music up louder. Which made it way worse for me, as her death screeching screams began to rise and started to kick harder on the back of my seat. I sat there and pondered on the thought of me just staying home at a friend’s house or anything just to be away from my family in a car for a whole day. Parents begin to talk about what we’ll see up there. Faces of presidents on mountains, crazy horse, all the colorful mountains and the thick forests. All that sounds very boring to me. Going up till we hit South Dakota all I remember was me sleeping, my siblings screaming, looking at corn and the radio blasting, until we hit the gate of South Dakota, Yankton South Dakota. Where I was born. Head and three Yankton...
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...10-13 hours Specs: Major Climb, Difficulty 9/9, Trail Class 5 with rock climbing/scrambling At 6,750 above sea level, Mt. Guiting Guiting is not nearly one of the tallest peaks in the country and yet it is one of the most sought after mountains in the record of Philippine Mountaineering. Dubbed by some local and international natural scientists as the “Galapagos of Asia,” Mt. Guiting Guiting boasts of its thick and old growth vegetation and forests. Sure enough, the mountain doesn’t have the freezing temperatures in Pulag or the height of Apo and yet it has caught the attention and gained the respect of mountaineers. Mt. Guiting Guiting is notable for its rocky ridges -- three of the few are the “Knife Ridge,” “Kiss the Wall,” and the “Peak of Deception.” The rocky ridges are all steep and jagged and definitely sharp. You should be very careful on where to step and where to hold on the rocks. Located in one of the three major islands of Romblon province, Sibuyan Island, Mt. Guiting Guiting is considered as one of the most difficult and challenging mountains in the country. Only mountaineers with enough stamina are advised to try the challenge that Mt. Guiting Guiting holds. This place will fulfil my dream to climb a mountain someday. I love adventures as well as seeing the beauty of nature. Hoping that one day, I’ll get the chance to go through this and make a very good experience with our mother nature. MT....
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...The shining mountain The short story written by Alison is from year 1992. The story is about a young girl named Pangma-La, who with her father is about to climb the shining mountain, which also is called Pangma-la. Her father is a mountaineer, who wants his daughter to become the same, and therefore he is taking her to the shining mountain so she can be trained in climbing mountains. On their way to the top of the mountain, Pangma-la becomes more and more tired, but she keeps on going to not disappoint her father. She meets this Sherpa woman, who offers to help her. This happens some times in the story, although her father can’t see this Sherpa woman. After her Father has reached the top of the mountain, he sees this Sherpa woman with Pangma-La. Here he realizes that the Goddess the old Sherpa man talked about was true. When he met her he also realized that I demanded a lot from his daughter, and takes a try to jump off the mountain, however, the Goddess catches him, and lets go of Pangma-La. The main character is Pangma-La. She is a scared person. She is scared of her father’s disappointment of her, and therefore lets him take her decisions. This is can be seen in the text, where she takes all her exercises serious, she doesn’t fool around (p. 19, ll. 1-15). When they get to the mountain, she becomes a bout nervous and desperate at the same time. She doesn’t want to disappoint her father. Eventually she gets tired and give up, and takes the Goddess advice (p. 21, ll. 1-10)...
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...the high altitudes of the mountain. However, this does not mean that they are invincible to the mountain's toughest climbing areas. Young...
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